A Change Of Heart
by Moonlight Scout Io
Summary: Minako is visited Nephrite, he gives her a mysterious gift, saying her friends may not be her friends. She has two options. to believe him. Or not
1. Chapter 1

**I came up with this idea when a friend of mine recently betrayed another friend. I really think this story will go somewhere.**

**I hope you like it. Please read and respond. Flames Welcome ****For This Story Only.**

Change of Heart

**Chapter 1: Tainted**

"Venus Love Chain!"

"Moon Tiara Action!"

"Aaaaaaahhhhhh!" Rei let herself fall to the ground and everyone bursts out laughing.

"What are you doing?" asked a very irritated Luna as she walked into the room and jumped onto a small desk overlooking the scene.

Rei stood up and turns to face Luna, "We're doing what you're supposed to do at a slumber party. Have fun!" She smiled and let herself fall backwards onto Usagi's bed.

"That's not what Luna meant. She wants to know what you are doing in you Senshi uniforms." Artemis walked into the room and was now standing beside Luna.

Ami quickly gave an answer, "We were reenacting are last battle." Usagi, Minako, Makato and Rei all nodded in agreement.

"Girls what are you doing?" The doorknob turned and the door opened slowly, the girls jumped in fear and with a small pop they were back in their pajamas. Quickly they stashed their transformation pens as the door opened, and Usagi's mom stuck her head into the room, "Could you keep it down in here Usagi your brother has just gone to bed."

"Sure mom." Usagi got up off the floor to brush the dust from her pajamas.

"We're sorry for being so loud." The girls smiling sweetly watched Usagi's mom close the door then started to calm down. Sprawled out on Usagi's bed and floor they thought of what to do next.

Then suddenly from out of nowhere came a blood curdling scream. "What was that," wined Usagi clutching Makato around the neck.

"I'm not sure," Artemis replied, "but maybe I'll go have a look." He jumped onto the window ledge and looked outside.

Luna jumped on the ledge to stand next to him, "I'm coming too." They both jumped down from the two story window to the empty street below.

The five Senshi waited patiently for Artemis and Luna to return.

Finally Makato got up and started for the window just as Artemis lands back on the ledge. Panting he started to stammer an answer to the unspoken question, "It's… its Nephrite… he's… captured Luna… He has half the neighborhood under his control." Artemis collapsed from exhaustion and Makato who was closest to the window picked him up and placed him on Usagi's bed.

She turned back to the window raised her wand above her head and shouted, "Jupiter Star Power!" Her friends imitated,

"Mars Star Power!"

"Venus Star Power!"

"Mercury Star Power!"

"Moon Prism Power!"

The five ordinary girls then became the five Senshi worriers. Immediately they jumped out the window one after the other landing gently on the ground, and started sprinting down the block and around the corner then froze at the sight of Nephrite dangling Luna in front of him by her tail.

"Put her down now Nephrite," demanded Usagi her fists shaking with rage.

"Here then take her," he through Luna's unconscious body into the air. Usagi jumped for it.

"Got you," she said. Standing up Usagi turned to Minako and said, "Please take her back to the house for me while I teach this guy a lesson." Minako nodded and took off.

The others turned their attention back to Nephrite, but he was gone. In his place he left about fifty people from the neighborhood who were marching towards them. "Were did he go," questioned Makato.

"I don't know, but I think we should worry more about these people than about him." Rei put in. Everyone nodded and the battle started.

Minako carefully placed Luna's body on Usagi's bed and took a deep breath. Nephrite who sat gently on the windowsill spoke suddenly, but calmly to her. "How touching," he got up and entered the room "You really disappoint me with all this kindness." She turned and gasped with fright. Nephrite moved towards Minako, causing her to trip as she stumbled backward away from him.

Artemis jumped in front of Minako and shouted, "Keep away from her Nephrite!" Nephrite kicked him out of the way, causing Minako to back away he moved forward.

Then finding her courage Minako stepped forward. "What do you mean 'disappointed with all this kindness'," she questioned him carefully not knowing his plan. Pausing she added, "I've always been kind."

Nephrite smiled again and pulled a small blue orb from his pocket and looking at her, he said, "This is known as… the Orb of Truth." He paused for a moment to look into the depths of the blue orb. "It allows the holder to see the truth about something," he explained to Minako's puzzled face. The he threw it to her. "You could use it to see what your… so-called friends, say when you're not around," Nephrite bowed his head, "It's not pretty."

Minako looked into the depths of the orb. She looked back at Nephrite still a little confused. "How do I use it," she asked.

Nephrite gave a short reply, 'Just think of a question you want answered." He stood next to the window again and with a blink of an eye disappeared.

Minako continued to stare at the orb then suddenly she cried, "Oh no my friends!" Placing the orb carefully under Usagi's bed, Minako quickly moved to the window and jumping onto the ground below, she raced down the street to where her friends were fighting.

Meanwhile…

"The plan is in motion my Queen," Nephrite spoke swiftly to a woman half hidden by shadows. "The girl will soon use the orb. And after so she will be easier to obtain." He smiled softly before leaving the woman, her cruel laughter filling the air and fading calmly into silence.

That night Minako lay awake thinking about what Nephrite had said, 'He's disappointed with my kindness. Why?' Checking to make sure her friends were asleep, Minako quietly got up and retrieved the blue orb Nephrite gave her. 'I know the battle was over when I got there and I know Usagi was really glad I help Luna. But…did she…did she really mean it' Minako stared into the orb and thought 'Is Usagi really my friend?' Suddenly the orb started to glow, surrounding Minako in a white mist. Then images started to form in front of her like a movie and…"NOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Everyone awoke with a fright. Minako jumped and quickly hid the orb before the lights came on.

"What is going on in here?" Usagi's mom opened the door and looked around the room.

"What's with all the noise," came another voice. Usagi's little brother appeared by his mother.

Everyone stared at Minako waiting for her to answer. "I…I just had a nightmare. I'm sorry for waking everyone."

"All right then, have a good night girls." Usagi's mom pushed her son back into the hall and closed the door.

"Good night"

With the door shut tightly, Makato whispered, "What was your nightmare about?" Minako shrugged her shoulders and fell right to sleep thinking, 'What I saw can't be true. There's no way it can. Can it…?'

The Next Day…

"Nephrite you need to learn some manners." Sailor Moon with her friends beside her stood ready for battle, "Moon Tiara Action," She shouted but her attack missed.

'My turn,' thought Sailor Venus. She moved forward "Venus Love Chain," she cried but her attack did no better than Sailor Moon's.

"Come now, come now you'll just have to do better than that if you want to beat me and…" Nephrite gestured behind himself to what looked like a monster straight out of a bad horror movie, "my new friend." He smiled, "but sadly I can't play anymore, so I bid you all…good day.." He turned with another smile and ran off.

"You're not going anywhere," Sailor Venus ran after Nephrite at top speed. "Get back here." Nephrite ran several blocks before turning a corner and stopping. "It's a dead end Nephrite. You're through," sailor Venus shouted at the trapped villain.

Nephrite smiled, "You would think so, wouldn't you." He took several steps forward, "Did you ever consider that…maybe… I wanted you to follow me here... away from your friends." He moved closer to Minako. She stepped back staring into Nephrites cold eyes a then quickly down at the ground.

"I do have one question," Minako said cautiously. She looked up staring into the empty eyes of her enemy, "Does the orb really give the truth about everything? Everything…? Can the terrible things I saw about my friends be true?" Minako fell to her knees crying, "It can't be true. It can't be."

Nephrite stepped up beside her, knelt down and placed his hand on her shoulder in a soothing way, "There, there child. Not everyone can choose the right friends." He paused, "On their first try." Then he stood up, "If anything… you can trust me… I would never betray you. You decide." Nephrite vanished on the spot his voice whispering softly, "Join me. Join me."

"Minako! Minako can you hear me?" A dizzy Sailor Venus opened her eyes and saw Usagi looking down on her. She sat up and looked at her friend's worried faces.

"What happened," she asked, "Where's Nephrite?"

Makato walked into the room, "He was gone when we found you." She placed a tray of hot chocolate on the table, "We found you unconscious. Are you all right?" Minako nodded her head slowly accepting the cup that was given to her.

So what happened," asked a curious Rei?

Minako sat quietly for a minute before answering, "I chased him a few blocks and cornered him in an ally. I attacked him but he was too fast. He dodged every attack, that's all I remember." Minako drained the coco from her cup started to cry.

Makato put her arms around her friend, "Don't cry Minako you tried your best. We'll all have to fight as a team to beat him. So let's come up with a good plan for the next battle."

With everyone now trying to come up with good ideas and plans to beat Nephrite, Minako thought over what he had said, '"Not everyone can choose the right friends. On their first try. You can trust me. I'll never betray you. Trust me. Trust me."' 'Trust him? Maybe I can use the Orb of Truth to find out if he's telling the truth.' But she shook off that idea for only a minute longer. Then she excused herself to use the restroom. Once inside with the door safely locked she removed the smooth, cloudy blue orb from her pocket. 'Are Usagi and the others really my truest friends? Or are they my enemies?' The Orb of Truth began to glow surrounding Minako with the same white mist as before. Images started to appear, mini-movies began playing. They showed the Sailor Scouts sitting in the room Minako just left. They were talking. Little Minako remained silent, listening to what they were saying.

"Minako is such a weakling, it's no wonder Nephrite beat her so easily."

"Yea! We probably would have beaten him by now, if it weren't for her." Minako's eyes began to fill with tears. She turned away from the orb as the white mist vanished. 'If that's how they feel, then maybe Nephrite was right.' She turned back to the orb and thought, 'Can I trust him? Can I trust Nephrite?'

The small sphere started glowing again, and this time it showed Nephrite with a young girl standing side by side, hand in hand. The young girl began to speak, "Oh Nephrite you really are the only one I can trust." The orb stopped glowing and the mist cleared. Minako sat quietly on the floor of the bathroom for another minute then got up 'It still can't be true… It just can't.' She placed the blue orb back into her pocket and stood up. With one last pause Minako opened the door and rejoined her friends. 'It still can't be true.'

Meanwhile…

Nephrite watches little Minako threw a small crystal. He smiles, "things are going perfectly. Just a little longer." He turns away from the crystal laughing into the darkness, "just a little longer."

* * *

Can it really be? Are the Senshi only pretending to be friends with Minako? And what is Nephrite planning? Keep reading to find out. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: I Want To Believe**

'"I wish we could have had someone else as Sailor Venus."

"Yea! Minako is just too incompetent. Too…immature."

"Yes I agree. Hey Luna do you think you can find someone else to be Sailor Venus?"

I'm afraid not. I have absolutely no control over who does and does not become a Senshi Warrior. But I do agree I wish we could have found someone better."'

"Why? Why are they saying these things? I thought they were my friends." The young girl, Minako, who was listening to her friends, sat crying on the floor of her room as the strange white mist that surrounded her faded away. "This just can't be real." She sat quietly for a little while longer then looking at her clock she got up. "I have to leave now if I'm going to get to school on time."

Walking on the sidewalk feeling slightly sick to her stomach Minako looked up just in time to see one of her friends walking on the other side of the street. Thinking fast she speed up her movement and ducked into an ally as Usagi crossed the road. "I hope she doesn't see me." Minako thought to herself as she peeked out to see if Usagi was far enough ahead that she would not see her. "Ok just act normal." She stepped out of the ally walking slower than before to avoid catching up with her friend.

Later…

"sigh I made it through the day without being seen by the others." Minako walked through the door of her house and went straight to her room. Staring at the small blue orb in her hands she sat quietly crying.

"My, don't we look sad today."

Minako froze. Then turned her head a little to see who was talking. "Nephrite!" She turned around quickly to face her foe, "what do you want?"

Nephrite smiled and entered the room with a laugh, "I see you've been using the Orb of Truth." He paused to step closer to Minako, "you seem sad about what you have seen in its depths." He knelt down beside Minako and placed his arm gently on her shoulder.

"I have been using it, but I cannot believe that what I have seen is true." Minako shoved her seemingly consoling enemy a way and stood up.

"Now, now you don't have to worry. I'm not here to fight." He bowed slightly, "I am only here to offer to you a chance to join me and fight against the Sailor Senshi." He straightened up, "Because they are your enemy not me. Let me help you. And I will make sure that you are never again sad."

With the orb in her hand she stared into Nephrite's eyes thinking carefully and then finally stepping closer to Nephrite she spoke, "Alright. I go with you but I don't believe that all of it to be true." She took a one last look at herself in her mirror and then moved to the window were her new comrade stood waiting.

Nephrite took hold of her around the waist, then picking her up gently he said, "Hold on tight Minako." Then he jumped from the window and they both disappeared before they reached the ground.

The Next Day…

Knock Knock "Minako are you there?" Rei turned at friends, Usagi, Ami and Makoto, and then back at the closed door of her of her other friend. "I wonder where she is," she said then pulled out a piece of paper and a pen from her bag and wrote a quick note that she put in the mail box. "I guess we have to have our meeting without her." Rei turned away from the door and her friends followed.

After arriving at Rei's house the girls decided to try calling Minako's cell phone but there was no answer, so they started their meeting, when Luna showed up.

"Where is Minako," she asked the black cat sitting on the table in front of the others.

Usagi looked at Luna and shook her head, "I don't. She wasn't home when we went to see her and she didn't answer her cell when we called."

Luna paced up and down the table, then looked around the room one more time, "Does anyone know were Artemis is?"

The girls looked at each other they hadn't seen him since the sleepover. They all shook their heads and Rei stood up. "You know I haven't seen either Minako or Artemis for a while. I hope they're ok." She walked over to a small table on the other side of the room. Picking up the phone Rei quickly dialed Minako's number and waited. After a moment of silence Rei put down the phone and looked with a frown at her friends. "There was no answer," she said with a shake of her head.

"This is serious," said Makoto. "What if something bad has happened to her?"

"I say we go back to her house and see what's going on," Rei said calmly, and the others agreed. Once they all made their way back to Minako's house Usagi and Rei boosted Luna through the open window on the second floor.

Looking around the room she was in Luna could see nothing out of the ordinary, and quickly moved downstairs to the front door. Luna looked up at the lock and immediately noticed, "Oh my! It's unlocked." She moved away from the door a little and then shouted out to the waiting Senshi, "Girls listen. The door is unlocked and Minako is nowhere in sight." In a flash the front door burst open and the girls stormed into the little house. Being the last one in Rei closed the door behind her.

"I wonder where Minako could have gone and why…would, she leave the door unlocked," questioned Makoto looking around, "I mean she couldn't have just disappeared. Could she?" The four girls moved cautiously from the down stairs area two the upstairs landing. Makoto then moved quickly down the hall to her friend, Minako's room and calmly opened the door. The group moved inside. Makoto moved to the open window and turned to face her fellow Senshi, "Well if she's not here. Where could she be?" The others merely shook their heads; they could not imagine what might have happened to their beloved Minako, or why she would not have told them all she was leaving.

"Let's split up and look for anything that might give us a clue," suggested Rei after a moment's silence. The others agreed, and then scattered through the house. Rei, Makoto, and Usagi quickly spread out through the downstairs area while Ami and Luna moved quietly around the upstairs.

Ami stayed to look in Minako's room, while the black cat moved on to the rooms at the end of the hall. "Let's see. There doesn't appear to be any sign of a struggle," the Senshi of water noted as she entered the room. "And the bed is even made." She walked across the room and over to the bed and laid her hand on the soft blanket. Looking around Ami moved on to the desk sitting just a few feet from the head of the bed. "Test. Monday. Science. Minako has a science test coming up. Maybe she's at the library studying." But the clever child put that out of her head at once know it was not true.

She walked across the room now and began examining the dresser opposite the desk. Picking up one of the many perfume bottles she sniffed lightly, "Not bad. I'll have to ask Minako where she got it later." Ami put the bottle down suddenly noting a small sparkle of light in the mirror hanging over the dresser.

Turning around she looked at the bed where she was sure the sparkle had come from. Dropping to her knees the curious child moved the blanket out of the way looked under the bed. At first she thought nothing was there, then seeing another twinkle Ami grabbed for it and pulled from out of the darkness a small blue orb with a swirling white mist inside. 'I wonder what this is?' Staring at the orb a moment longer Ami placed it carefully on Minako's bed before moving to the door to alert the others to her find.

With everyone now seated in the front room of Minako's home the black cat, Luna, began her analysis of the strange blue orb that was found in the bedroom. "Well," Luna began after a few brief minutes, "this looks to be similar to what is known as the "Orb of Truth". But something doesn't seem right." The cat's tail twitched lightly as she continued to stare at the sphere.

Then Ami reached forward taking it from the table to get a better look. Then she turned to Luna and asked, "Well how would the "Orb of Truth" work exactly."

Everyone turned now to face Luna as she took a moment to think. "The "Orb of Truth" works by giving the exact truth about any question that is asked. To use you simply need to be holding it while you think about such question."

Looking at it a moment more Ami thought hard. "Ok," she said, "I think I have a question that to think about that I will be able to tell if the answer is true or not." Then holding out the orb she concentrated on her question, 'Did I pass my math test?' Within seconds the strange blue orb began to glow and the area around the girls became surrounded in a thick white mist. Then from the mist images began to appear. They showed a young girl standing alone in the front of a class room. In front of her was her teacher and classmates. Then the teacher spoke to the girl, '"Well Ami I am very disappointed. I expected better from you, my best student."' The teacher held out a piece of paper for the girl to see, and with everyone looking at it they gasped. Then the mist cleared and Ami put the orb back down on the table.

"What was that?" Asked Makoto, "What question were you thinking about?"

Ami looked up. "I asked whether or not I passed my last math test. And according to this," she pointed at the orb, "I got an F. Which I know to be completely untrue. Because my teacher told me that I received a perfect score."

"So that means that this orb is a fake," commented Rei.

"Yea," piped up Usagi, "a sort of "Orb of Deceit". Made only to show lies." This comment puzzled everyone as they left Minako's house in silence. Saying good bye to each other everyone went off in their own direction headed for home under the late afternoon sun promising to meet at Rei's house early tomorrow to further examine the strange new orb of deceit.

Meanwhile in another dimension…

"I can't. I just can't. I just can't believe that they've forgotten me already. They haven't even noticed I'm gone."

"There, there, little one. I'm here. And I will take care of you I promise…Believe me."

"But I still want to believe they are my friends…I want to believe…believe…"

Poor Minako. She has no idea of the lies that have entered her mind. Can her friends help find the truth. Or will she forever be lost within the web of deceit that is now in place. Keep reading to find out.


End file.
